Chapter 89 - The Imperial Palace

The sphere settled onto the corpse’s chest. No one present was foolish enough not to understand what that meant.

Twilight was a tracking art. Its targets were the missing people.

... In other words, these corpses were the missing people.

Recalling what Rohan had just muttered, Bera asked,

“... Is it a face you recognize?”

“I do. No. Do I? Can I really say I do?”

Rohan dragged a trembling hand over his face and took a deep breath.

It was certainly a face he knew. How could he forget? She had been one of the most beautiful women he had ever met.

Her faintly pink hair, her downturned eyes framed by long lashes, her finely shaped nose, and the upturned corners of her lips.

Every detail remained vividly etched in Rohan’s mind.

“... Why?”

Why did every one of these corpses have her face atop its neck? And why was Twilight pointing to them?

It was utterly bewildering. The clues they had uncovered were not enough to deduce anything.

As Rohan’s gaze wavered violently,

“Hmm...”

Albrecht stepped forward. Pure Blood was already in his hand.

“Excuse me a moment.”

The prince raised his sword high, then split the corpse’s chest open.

“What the...!”

“Look.”

Albrecht’s gaze grew somber. Rohan had been about to shout at him for his sudden action, but when he looked where Albrecht pointed, he caught his breath.

The chest cavity was empty. Every organ had been removed, leaving nothing but bone and skin.

“It felt different when I cut them. It certainly felt like cutting a person, but... something was strangely off. Now I understand. With their insides empty like this...”

Renée flinched at his words.

“... Bera?”

“It’s all right.”

Bera laid his hand over her faintly trembling one to reassure her.

Meanwhile, Albrecht continued.

“There’s something else strange about this. Before we entered this space, none of us noticed they were in here. Even after entering, we still didn’t. I only detected their presence because they threw daggers.”

Bera went still.

Indeed, just as Albrecht said, he had sensed no presence before entering.

Given the combat abilities of these corpses, it made no sense that they could have hidden themselves from everyone here.

“Since the apostle of guidance seems to recognize that face, I’d like to leave for now and hear more about it. What do you say? I doubt anything good will come of staying here longer.”

“... Agreed.”

Bera cast a glance at the horribly mangled corpses, then turned away.

“Let us go, Saintess.”

“Ah, yes...”

As he led Renée outside, Bera knew instinctively.

These were no ordinary disappearances. Something deeper and more sinister was involved.

* * *

Back at the count’s mansion, the group sat in a circle in the drawing room, listening intently to Rohan, whose face still showed his confusion.

“So... it was eight years ago. I delivered your letter to the count, Mari, and since the festival was on, I thought I’d have a look around before leaving. I stayed in the Empire for a month or two, I suppose?”

“You were slacking off there?”

“Oh, come on, Mari! That’s not the important part!”

Mari clicked her tongue at Rohan’s flustered protest.

“Fine. We’ll discuss that later. Go on, then.”

“Whew... Anyway. Anna was a woman I met at the festival. I was drinking alone at an outdoor tavern in the night market when she approached me.”

Rohan searched his memory for the events of that day and continued.

“Well, it was a festival. The atmosphere was nice. What do you think happened? I spent the rest of the festival having fun with her. That was it. We never contacted each other afterward, and I never heard anything about her. But...”

What on earth had he seen in the gutter?

Unable to find an answer, Rohan’s expression darkened further.

Albrecht furrowed his brow as he considered the story, then offered a theory.

“If those corpses were already in the Empire back then, how about this? Perhaps you met a corpse that was active at the time—”

“No. I’m certain of that.”

“Hmm?”

After answering, Rohan hesitated for a moment, then let out a deep sigh and continued.

“... Anna definitely had all her organs back then.”

“How do you know that?”

Rohan pressed his lips shut. Embarrassment began to creep over his previously grave expression.

Seeing his face, Mari scowled and clicked her tongue.

“So you fucked her?”

“... Mari, your choice of words...”

“Bah, you filthy rascal. You’re always out there spraying your seed around. It’s a miracle you haven’t fathered a child yet!”

Rohan shrank under Mari’s scolding. Albrecht’s face filled with a blush and curiosity, while the count covered his eyes with a hand.

Silence settled over the room.

Renée, who had been listening quietly, pondered their exchange. Only belatedly did she realize what Mari and Rohan meant, and her face began turning bright red.

“Th-th-that...”

“... Saintess, please compose yourself.”

“Y-yes, yes...!”

The serious atmosphere had changed in an instant. An awkward air drifted through the room.

Mari surveyed the others with her arms crossed, then chuckled.

“I only said it because you all looked so miserable. At times like these, we need to keep our heads and talk things through! What about you, husband? Anything come to mind?”

“Hmm...”

Count Vaishur stroked his beard in thought.

“For now, we can rule out the nobles as the culprit. As far as I know, none of the nobles in the capital can perform magic of that sort.”

“Could they not have hired a sorcerer?”

“Impossible. As long as the Magic Tower guards the skies above the capital, every act of magic within the city is caught by its detection array—”

The count jolted mid-sentence. The others did likewise.

Amid them, Albrecht let out a short, incredulous laugh and spoke.

“... Now that I think about it, the Magic Tower floats directly above the gutter, doesn’t it?”

That single remark froze the atmosphere in the room.

Albrecht looked around at the others, whose expressions had all turned grave, then said,

“I’ll have to discuss this with my elder brother.”

“You mean the crown prince?”

“Yes. The Saintess is visiting the imperial palace in two days, isn’t she?”

Albrecht smiled, showing his white teeth.

“The timing is perfect. Let us discuss this again in two days.”

Bera asked for Renée’s opinion.

“Would that be all right with you?”

“Yes, let’s do that. We don’t have any clear course of action right now, after all.”

With Renée’s permission, Albrecht nodded.

“Good. I’ll have the imperial household send a carriage that day. It’s late. I’ll take my leave now. You’ve all worked hard for many hours, so get some proper rest.”

Albrecht left, and Count Vaishur followed to see him off.

Only the four apostles remained.

The mention of the Magic Tower had brought something to Renée’s mind.

“... Come to think of it, Master Trebo used to be at the Magic Tower, didn’t he?”

“Yes. It was over twenty years ago, but he was a promising mage who was even considered a candidate to become the next master of the Magic Tower.”

“Why don’t we ask him for advice? If we send an express courier, we should hear back within ten days.”

“Oh! Right, there’s him! I haven’t seen him in so long that I’d forgotten!”

Following Mari’s enthusiastic response, Rohan spoke.

“Then I’ll go send the letter. Oh, should I ask for holy knights as reinforcements too?”

“We cannot. Sending troops into another nation’s capital could easily become a diplomatic issue.”

“Huh? Even though those fellows are asking for help?”

“Not ‘those fellows.’ The imperial family. And the imperial family is currently in a weak position.”

“Bah, what’s that supposed to mean? Then why are we all right?”

“There are only a few of us, and we have a legitimate reason to be here, so they cannot take issue with us. Bear that in mind, and send only the letter. Saintess, shall we retire? It is very late.”

“Ah, yes.”

Renée took Bera’s hand and rose.

Even as they left the drawing room, the same thought kept returning to her mind.

<i>‘Hmm...’</i>

There had been something familiar about the aura of the corpses they had faced in the gutter.

* * *

Two days later, before the imperial palace.

Renée let out a deep sigh as she alighted from the carriage, her face already marked by exhaustion.

The reason hardly needed explaining. It was the ceremonial robes she wore. She was already worn out from being dressed and adorned by the attendants since early morning.

Wondering whether she could make it through her meeting with the crown prince and return without incident, Renée took Bera’s hand and stepped down from the carriage.

“You’ve endured a great deal.”

“Not at all. Oh, more importantly, do my clothes look all right? I hope sitting didn’t leave them disheveled.”

“Yes. You look every bit the Saintess. There is no reason to worry.”

“That’s a relief.”

Renée set her cane down with a tap and began walking.

“What is the imperial palace like?”

“Like the library we visited before, it is predominantly white. Four broad avenues extend from the central palace, with other buildings between them. Hmm, the landscaping is certainly worthy of an imperial palace. White and green, with flowers planted throughout, create a variety of colors in every direction.”

Though he continued describing it, Bera found himself at something of a loss.

The palace grounds were vast—far too vast—and held a correspondingly large number of buildings.

How was he to describe all of this?

As his uncertainty showed on his face, Renée sensed it and chuckled softly.

“You don’t have to tell me everything. What you’ve described so far is enough for me to picture it roughly.”

“... Yes.”

A gentle atmosphere surrounded them as they walked hand in hand.

They had been walking for some time, enjoying a peace they had not felt in a while, when a loud voice rang out ahead.

“Welcome!”

It was Albrecht, with some fifteen attendants behind him.

His golden eyes, sparkling in the sunlight, curved pleasantly as he smiled, showing his white teeth.

“Welcome to the imperial household! I am Albrecht van Frich, second prince of the Empire! I greet the Saintess and the apostle!”

At his greeting, accompanied by a precise ceremonial gesture, Renée finally realized that this was their first official meeting. She bowed her head.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.”

Seeing Renée treat him with courtesy, Albrecht felt a poignant stirring in his chest.

Yes! This was how it ought to be! He was the second prince, after all. Hadn’t the way they had treated him until now been rather excessive?

A little indignation welled up, making him feel all the more moved.

His body began to tremble slightly. Bera’s face was twisting into a scowl at the sight when—

<i>CLICK.</i>

The sound of a shoe heel pierced the air.

Albrecht and Bera turned toward the sound at the same time. Their expressions hardened when they saw who stood there.

A sharp-featured young woman was walking out from inside, her curly red hair tossing about.

“... The master of the Magic Tower.”

Approaching them was the head of the Magic Tower, the very person they suspected of involvement in the disappearances.